Brewers Go All In With Grandal Signing

Yasmani Grandal did not have a good time in Milwaukee the last time he was here. Fans chanted his name, and Grandal missed multiple balls in the dirt. Fans went nuts over the mental errors of Grandal. Well, it’s time to bring him in as our own. According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Grandal signs with the Brewers on a one year deal worth 18.25 million dollars. He brings a switch-hitting power bat to the lineup, and he’s a better catcher than a few games in the NLCS. Brewers are pushing their chips to the middle and going for it.

Fans are going to immediately point to the NLCS and wonder why do the Brewers sign this guy? It’s pretty simple, and you should look at a full sample size. Grandal is an elite pitch framing. He ranks second in most runs saved by a catcher, and he tied for the lead in 2016 and 2018 according to Sports Info Solutions. They also added the metrics behind his defense that show he’s an average defender. So there will be games where things like the NLCS Game 1. But for the most part, Grandal will play a good catcher and help out his pitcher.

The more exciting part of Grandal is he has a major power bat. Playing his home games in Dodger Stadium, The Yasmaian Devil hit 24 home runs. He has hit 20 or more home runs in his last three seasons. For those unfamiliar, Dodger Stadium is not a hitters park at all. Miller Park is and Yasmani could go off. Grandal does not hit for average only hitting around .240, but in two of the last three years, he had an OBP that was 100 points or more higher than his average. I’m not entirely concerned with his average. Grandal will likely hit sixth or seventh in the order for the Brewers who have a juggurnaut of a lineup. Brewers could be looking at a lineup that projects – Cain-Yelich-Aguilar-Shaw-Braun-Grandal-Arcia-Spangenberg. Good luck to the National League Central with that kind of lineup.

NL Central will be a bloodbath but the Brewers made themselves so much better last night.